You will see my three best bets elsewhere, but as it is the one and only Cheltenham Festival, every race deserves at least a passing mention!
2.00pm – I won’t lie to you and tell you I like the look of the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase this year, it’s a tough field lacking a standout contender to hitch my wagon to, with the unbeaten Romeo Coolio making hard work of things last time out and fails to set my pulse racing. At a bigger price I am slightly (and only slightly) tempted by Wendigo who could give the home team a winner. Available at 8/1 or so as I wrote, he has won two of his four starts over fences including by 22 lengths at Ayr last time out, and he looks to have a chance of a top three place with a clear round.
Wendigo each way 9/1 most bookmakers
2.40pm – A two mile five furlong handicap hurdle will see plenty of punters going home with empty pockets no doubt, and none of these leap off the page as unbeatable, and the bookmakers seem to agree, betting 6/1 or so the field. Stormheart does look a worthy favourite after wins at Limerick and Gowran Park this season, but it is his earlier form behind the likes of Kargesse and Majborough over hurdles that gets him the vote. They suggest he is better than a handicapper, and as he arrives in top form for the all-conquering Willie Mullins stable, he is hard to bet against despite the depth of the opposition.
Stormheart each way 11/2 most bookmakers
3.20pm – The Cross Country Chase is a marmite of a race, loved by some and hated by others, but it’s on the card, so I feel duty bound to at least have a look. There is precious little value left in the 5/2 about Favori De Champeau I am sorry to say, even if he does look the likeliest winner, and I will risk (literally) a couple of quid each way on stable companion The Goffer. Second to Vanillier at Punchestown and fourth in this last year, he has it all to do to get the better of his conqueror on these terms, but he made a bad mistake that day and a clear round plus the 5lb claim of jockey Josh Williamson here ocid see him get a whole lot closer.
The Goffer each way 16/1 William Hill and Paddy Power
4.40pm – A two mile handicap made up of largely out of form horses isn’t my idea of a way to throw my money way, but if you feel you have to put a bet on, then you could do a lot worse than Personal Ambition. He passes all of my stats tests (as do plenty of this field sadly) and arrives in good form after winning by 17 lengths at Newbury from the consistent Quebecois. His jumping leaves a lot to be desired but he obviously has an engine, and if Ben Pauling has ironed out some or hopefully all of those errors, he could be the surprise package here.
Personal Ambition each way 18/1 Paddy Power